The parish church of San Giovanni Battista is the main church of Vado Ligure, built over the ancient Santa Maria Vadensis and substantially reconstructed in baroque style in the 18th century. The baroque interior has the typical Ligurian combination of marble, gilding, and painted ceiling vaults.
The church was built on the site of an older medieval church, which in turn stood over what may have been an early Christian place of worship. The continuity of sacred use on this site links the baroque exterior back through the medieval period to the Roman town of Vada Sabatia below.